10 Great 2000s Disney Movies Fans Have Forgotten, Ranked

With nearly a century of movies in its catalog, Disney has made many films that viewers remember fondly. But quite a few titles, no matter how good, fail to stand the test of time and have unfortunately become forgotten. There could have been similar films with characters or story ideas, concepts that weren’t popular with audience members, or just a more popular movie released around the same time.

Despite its abundance of comical moments, Bolt struggled to stand out among a menagerie of movies that year. The space-bound adventure of Treasure Planet was overshadowed by the meteor shower of competing holiday blockbusters. Even the large amount of amusing visual gags in Meet the Robinsons couldn’t prevent its gradual fade from the audience’s minds. These are just a few examples of the many unique and wonderful Disney films that, unfortunately, lost the battle with time and have now become buried in the past.

10 Valiant Soared With Courage in War

Too Many Birds for a Year of Animal Films

Set in England during World War II, Valiant focused on carrier pigeons that were used to deliver critical messages by both the Allied and Axis powers. The titular Valiant (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a young pigeon who watches an advertisement for the Royal Homing Pigeons Service and is inspired to join. Along with other carrier pigeons he meets during training, Valiant is recruited to go on a dangerous mission to obtain and deliver some crucial information pertaining to the war.

Valiant did a good job of making a serious subject such as World War II more lighthearted. The film had some comical moments and borrowed concepts from past WWII films when showing the characters in different parts of training. In the end, there were some cliffhanger moments where the outcome was unforeseen. One factor that made this film forgettable is that 2005 was a heavy year for animated films featuring animals. Viewers were probably tired of seeing animal films and wanted something new. If Valiant had been released in a year with fewer movies featuring animals, it would have stood out more and been more memorable. The subject matter and the low-grade CGI style brought this film to the bottom of the list.

9 Kenai Journeys to the Wild in Brother Bear

Brother Bear Is Buried By a Lost Fish Tale

Centered in the Pacific Northwest after the last ice age, Brother Bear is about three brothers: Sitka (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), Denahi (voiced by Jason Raize), and Kenai (voiced by Joaquín Phoenix). During a battle with a bear, older brother Sitka loses his life, and this causes younger brother Kenai to go on a hunt to find the bear guilty of this crime. Once found, Kenai battles the bear and, after killing it, is himself transformed into a bear by the spirit of Sitka. Kenai must then go on a journey to transform back into a human where he learns about the circle of life along the way.

Brother Bear was a bit of a tour de force with emotions. It starts with a lot of danger when the brothers fight with a bear after it steals their fish supply. But once transformed, Kenai goes on a profound journey. He shortly meets the cub Koda (voiced by Jeremy Suarez) after getting trapped. Koda tells him he can be a guide to the mountains where the spirits meet the earth. While on this adventure, Kenai goes from being annoyed and despising Koda to eventually loving him and considering him his brother. Kenai also learns a deep lesson about life and death. Unfortunately, this film isn’t remembered much because Finding Nemo was released earlier that year and was a monster hit to the point it cast a huge shadow Brother Bear couldn’t escape from.

8 Bolt Learns About Himself by Finding Penny

Too Many Animals Left Bolt Lost in the Zoo

Everyone is familiar with action TV shows that feature a human with an animal sidekick. This is precisely what Bolt is based on. Bolt the dog (voiced by John Travolta), is initially adopted by Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus). Years later, they both went on to star in their own super-popular action TV series. But Bolt thinks all the superpowers and abilities he uses in the show and the villains are all real. It isn’t until he’s separated from Penny and journeys to find her again that Bolt truly learns what is real in life.

Bolt was a popular movie when it first came out in theaters, but it has become less and less well-known over time. This was a fun movie to watch. From the action scenes with Bolt and his cohorts to the emotional ending, it caught the viewers’ attention. Mittens the cat (voiced by Susie Essman) and Rhino the hamster (voiced by Mark Walton) added a lot of humor. But Bolt’s journey of realizing who he really is made this film one worth watching. Because it was another animal-based film of the 2000s, audience members quickly lost interest in it. The storyline could’ve also been more original in a way to separate it from similar movies of the past.

7 Aladar Braves Stone-Age Dangers in Dinosaur

Dinosaur’s Animation Style Was Too Early

With the new millennium starting, Disney decided in 2000 to release Dinosaur, which is set 65 million years in the past — more specifically, in the Cretaceous period. The main character, Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), is initially raised by lemurs and realizes the dangers posed by fiery meteors falling and a meager water supply. He joins the other dinosaurs on a journey to their safe nesting grounds. During this migration, Aladar comes across other misfit dinosaurs, and they all work together through many dangers until they reach the safe valley.

Dinosaur‘s storytelling choice to have Aladar raised by lemurs instead of other dinosaurs was original and gave him the perspective of an outsider trying to blend with various dinosaurs. There’s more to know about Aladar. What may have led to this film being left in 2000 is the animation style. It didn’t look too realistic, even for a movie made before 2000. Added to that is the fact that putting a new dinosaur movie at the start of a new millennium was maybe too on the nose. This is again a situation where Disney could have waited a little longer to release this film, which would have led to better CGI quality and better reception from audiences.

6 Jim Sails the Stars in Treasure Planet

A Holiday Onslaught Left Treasure Planet Lost in Space

Treasure Planet was another film in which Disney took the original story concept from a much-loved piece of literature. Loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, this movie tells the story of teenager Jim Hawkins (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a cabin boy on a space-traveling ship called the RLS Legacy. This was a time when old sea-style ships were adapted with technology to sail among the stars. Onboard, Jim befriends the cyborg cook John Silver (voiced by Brian Murray). While Silver is training Jim to become a fine space cruiser, Jim realizes Silver may not be who he appears to be.

One aspect that should have made this film more memorable was the animation style because this was the first Disney movie that combined computer-generated backgrounds with hand-drawn characters. Some fans even felt this movie also deserved to have a sequel made. It was interesting to see what would happen if the much beloved Treasure Island book was to take place in the future in space. But this could also be why this movie has stayed buried in the past. In addition, it was released during the holiday season in 2002, and other films, such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Santa Clause 2, were by far more popular and attracted even more attention in the theaters.

5 Milo Searches for a Vanished City in Atlantis: The Lost Empire

A Weak Story Left Atlantis Lost in Time

One of the most mysterious legends is that of the ancient city of Atlantis. Did it really exist? In Atlantis: The Lost Empire, it is 1914, and a young man, Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), works as a museum cartographer and linguistics expert. He discovers that billionaire Preston B. Whitmore (voiced by John Maloney) is going on an expedition to find this fabled city. Using a recently discovered long-lost journal, Milo decides to continue the search for Atlantis that his late grandfather originally began. What initially starts as a journey to find a metropolis instead becomes an adventure to save it.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is full of action and great character development, especially for Milo. When he finds Atlantis, he also discovers feelings of love for the Atlantean Princess Kida (voiced by Cree Summer). Atlantis: The Lost Empire is full of famous voices like Michael J. Fox, who brought a lot of emotion to his voice-acting of Milo. This movie was so popular that a sequel was made in 2003 called Atlantis: Milo’s Return. Despite that, this is another situation where competing against stronger films made it lose out. The same year saw the releases of Shrek and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. These movies were hard to fight against, and the storyline needed strengthening to allow it to stand out. As a result, this movie lands fifth on this list.

4 Chicken Little Fights Aliens & Saves the World

Chicken Little Was Drowned Out By Pop Culture Easter Eggs

What happens when a piece of the sky falls on a chicken’s head? Naturally, he thinks that the world is ending. Adapted from the classic fable, Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff) is dealing with having a bad reputation. Just when he thinks things are finally starting to get better, he gets hit in the head by a real piece of the sky. Chicken Little then realizes that aliens are attacking the town and out to take over the world. He is joined by his friends Abby Mallard, aka The Ugly Duckling (voiced by Joan Cusack), Runt of the Litter (voiced by Steve Zahn), and Fish Out of Water (voiced by Dan Molina) to save everyone.

The strange yet interesting modernization of this film was entertaining by turning it into an armageddon story. Changing the original storyline concept to aliens invading holds a bit more true to the lesson of showing courage, even when it seems like the world is ending. Added to that is Braff’s wonderful voice acting that made tiny-in-stature Chicken Little larger than life. This is one of the few films on this list that is more memorable. If Disney had toned down on the pop culture references a bit, it could have helped Chicken Little stand out more.

3 Giselle Finds a Real-Life Happily Ever After in Enchanted

Musical Harmonies Weren’t Memorable Enough

Enchanted takes the tried-and-true happily-ever-after story and turns it upside-down. Princess Giselle (played by Amy Adams) meets and eventually falls in love with Prince Edward (played by James Marsden). But before they can get married, the evil Queen Narissa (played by Susan Sarandon) casts a spell that transports Giselle and Edward from their world of Andalasia to present-day New York City. Once in NYC, Giselle meets a divorce lawyer named Robert Philip (played by Patrick Dempsey) and soon develops feelings for him. The story then becomes a love triangle between Giselle, Prince Edward, and Robert, where she has to follow her heart to decide which man is her true love.

Enchanted is extremely unique because it is a musical that combines hand-drawn animation with live-action. This, mixed with transferring characters into a world where technology reigns supreme, and they are unfamiliar with everything, creates a unique story concept. Just like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, this film was also popular enough for a sequel to be made (Disenchanted, released 15 years later). Both movies also became lost to time because of the musical aspect. This genre has a very harsh audience that is hard to win over. The animation and live-action combination style, though uncommon, failed to leave a lasting impact on audiences.

2 Lewis Takes a Trip to His Future in Meet the Robinsons

Laughing Too Much Was Not Enough to Save the Robinsons

In Meet the Robinsons, Lewis (voiced by Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry) is a 12-year-old orphan and technology genius. He creates a Memory Scanner machine to help him recover his lost memories of his mother in hopes of learning why he was put up for adoption. But one day, his machine is stolen by Bowler Hat Guy (voiced by Stephen John Anderson). When he tries to recover it, Lewis runs into a mysterious boy named Wilbur Robinson (voiced by Wesley Singerman), who drags him into the future where Bowler Hat Guy disappeared with Lewis’s Memory Scanner. In the future, Lewis gets into many comical mishaps with members of Wilbur’s family, discovers their history, and attempts to recover his invention.

Meet the Robinsons delivered many hilarious moments. From how some of the Robinson family dressed to how they acted, there were moments that ran the gamut from little giggles to outright loud laughter. And every time Bowler Hat Guy thought he would get away with his scheme, something happened to make it seem otherwise, and his reactions added to the rampant hilarity. This movie is not recalled well because there wasn’t much about it that made it unique apart from its focus on humor. This movie didn’t pop enough otherwise. If the story had been fleshed out more with the story of Lewis, it would have had a bigger impact.

1 Will Struggles With Being a Superhero in Sky High

A Weak Villain Scheme Prevented the Film for Soaring High

Everyone remembers what it was like to go through high school as a very awkward teenager with strange feelings and emotions. Imagine combining that with learning how to be a superhero, and things just get much, much worse. In Sky High, Will Stronghold (played by Michael Angarano) is the son of two of the most famous superheroes known to all: The Commander (played by Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (played by Kelly Preston). When he arrives at the superhero school Sky High, Will has not discovered his powers yet and is relegated to being a sidekick. While trying to survive his freshman year, Will struggles with bullies and girl problems and tries to figure out his powers. When an ultimate evil threatens the school, Will has to learn to manage being a teenager and use his newfound powers to save everyone.

Sky High is a fantastic movie with a lot going for it. The story about superhero kids going to a unique high school where they learn to use their powers is quite original. Back in the 2000s, teenage movies were very popular and this added a unique slant to the story told. Sky High even had a sequel in the works that got canceled. The only reason why this film isn’t remembered much could be attributed to the evil plot conceived by the supervillain in the story. Royal Pain (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) turns almost everyone into babies as part of her evil plan. Despite that, the action in this movie, along with all the other storylines in Will’s journey of self-discovery, make this the top movie that should be remembered.